"Newcomer" by Keigo Higashino

Keigo Higishino (b. 1958) is a very popular mystery writer and winner of a number of Japanese awards for his work. His two most famous characters, each the hero of a series of novels, are Detective Galileo and Detective Kaga. I have read three of the novels in each series, which I believe are the only ones translated into English. I've been enjoying a lot of Japanese fiction recently, and I might read even more. 

Higashino's Newcomer, published in Japan in 2009 and in the US in 2018, features Detective Kyoichiro Kaga, a very observant policeman. While investigating a murder, Kaga succeeds in noticing and connecting all the small details about actions and motives of many people. Some were bystanders; others might have been involved with the victim: a woman found strangled on the floor of her apartment by a friend. He scrutinizes every lead he can find, despite the impatience of his end-of-career partner, who just wants to pin the crime on someone and go home.

In reading Newcomer, I especially liked Higashino's choice of starting with a number of short chapters written from the point of view of the potential witnesses. As he observes their demeanor, their homes, their businesses, their way of life, and how they reacted to his questioning, we learn about the detective and his methods. It's clear in the early stages of the investigation that Kaga has no theories or suspects, but is simply finding out all he can.

This series of interviews, mainly in small and very retro shops, reveals a lot about the neighborhood where the victim lived. She had often made small purchases in the shops -- particularly, just a short time before her death. Besides illuminating the environment of the crime, Higashino provides a delightful tour of these small, out-of-date businesses, which manufacture and sell old-fashioned merchandise like rice crackers, traditional sweet pastries, hand-made toys, custom tools, and old-fashioned clocks. Whether the shopkeepers and their families had any role in the murder or not, these vignettes of Old Tokyo life are a pleasure to read.

Once these interviews are completed, the author builds suspense very effectively (as you would expect from a prize-winning writer of detective fiction). The identity of the murderer is never obvious, and narrowing down the search is a fascinating endeavor. Kaga is masterful! I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. I've also read quite a few of the others by Higashino that are available in English translation, and I hope to read the next one that is scheduled to be published soon.

A small, traditional shop front — from my visit to Tokyo in 2011.

Blog post and photo © 2011, 2023 mae sander